When I first started my YouTube channel I tried to make my videos perfect and trust me they were far from it, but some of you guys watched them and even gave me positive comments so I kept at it – still not perfect but it was fun nevertheless.

YouTube is the second biggest search engine online, and it gives businesses a gigantic platform to gain viewers. Users aren’t satisfied by physical ads or static marketing anymore, they want interactive and engaging material. Uploading video content, that showcases your businesses views and ideas, gives you the aura of expertise and authority. By uploading videos with tips and strategies, businesses can not only get attention but also provide help and value to customers, which will build respect.

Tips and How-To videos are great ways to develop your company into becoming an expert on the topic. When viewers see the videos, they will recognize you as an expert for providing those tips and advice especially if it was good and that is definitely a win win for everyone.

When I did my first YouTube videos they were created to complement or be a companion to my existing blog, DeDivahDeals but I wanted my followers to see me and it did open up a wider audience.

My second blog, Blogging with Blake is a teaching blog so I basically took what I did in my workshops and put it on video, again widening my audience and making it appear as though I am authority in the field of social media and guess what I am…because here I am now doing Podcasts – SOCIAL MEDIA SUNDAY WITH THE DELAWARE BLOGGER

Trust me it took a while before I became comfortable in doing them, but the more I ‘taped” the more fun it became

YouTube Videos builds credibility and trust – uploading content on YouTube or Periscope, Meerkat, Vine and Vimeo, businesses are able to give reasons for customers to take a closer look at their services and products.

Credibility comes from information and there is no easier or direct way which will be absorbed more quickly than through video content. 15 seconds of video content can be more engaging and provide more information than an entire page of ads, text or those throwaway flyers you get in the mail – we as humans are very visual creatures with short attention spans – less than that of a Goldfish!

5 tips to make your videos worth watching

People aren’t going to click on your video to see a boring infomercial or stay to watch it in it’s entirety so…

1 – Create good content and be consistent for your targeted audience. You want to create a channel which is more than just putting up videos. Think about your audience where are they in the buying process? Trying to cold-sell to customers and prospects might not work initially because they may not be interested in your products yet, Most people who find your videos on YouTube are usually in the discovery stage and aren’t ready to commit to a purchase. They want to check you out first.

2- It’s important to choose keywords that are relevant to people who are looking for new information and to provide video content that educates them based on those keywords. Make sure to use keywords that people are looking for when searching for products, services or tutorials. Think like the customer. “How to boil and egg” which is a basic analogy but works.

The goal of your videos should be to search out and find those viewers who are interested in learning more about your products and services. You’ll have an easier time converting website visitors after you’ve warmed them up to your offers.

3 – Your videos should focus on providing video that engages and educates people, but leaves them hanging a little. Use the video to convince them that they need to visit your website to get the information they require or come back for future videos.

End your video by saying something like Please visit my website at blah blah blah.com or for more information” call us at, send an email to or find us on our social media platforms.

4 – Optimize Your Channel Page to Drive Traffic

Always provide contact information for your company; include links to your website and other social media profiles. Also make good use of your banner header, where you can insert four clickable links. Be sure to add appropriate calls to action there. Including your request to subscribe – using a statement like, “if this is your first time here, subscribe because…give them a reason for subscribing, give them the value or their subscription.

5 – Give your video a catchy title for the thumbnail and don’t spend a lot on fancy equipment because most people are watching videos at work from their desk with a their smartphone, not some major television production on ABC or CBS.

Remember the opening seconds of video must hook viewer and give them what the title states.

Are you using YouTube to broaden your brand and expand your business online?

Hello friends, I trust you all had a wonderful weekend, mine was quite busy and it’s going to continue late into the night.

This evening I will be heading up to Wilmington to cover the Gordesi Launch Experience – Summer 2015 Collectionas part of the VIP Press corp. I am really looking forward to attending this fashion event and I can’t wait to bring you all the exciting coverage.

Speaking of fashion, here is last week’s outfit roundup.

I am going to title this outfit “All in the Family”. Reading through fashion blogs I learned that if you are going to mix patterns, make sure the colors are all in the same family. So with this maxi skirt and black and white shirt, I chose to wear leopard print shoes and purse, I surprised myself with how it all came together.

The belt, purse and top were all thrifted from Goodwill, the flats were purchased at Citi Trends and the skirt has been in my closet forever. What do you think?

This outfit I am calling “Black and Blue Block”. You know how much I like my sleeveless sheath dresses and this one from Ross is no exception, and with it are my favorite Mia heels and Buddah Bag.

Necklace is Avon and bracelet is Old Navy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best thing about a sheath dress is that you can wear it all year long by just adding a blazer or cardigan when the temperatures dip. Speaking of Avon, check out my latest YouTube Video, it’s an Avon unboxing which includes beauty supplies that will be part of my Holiday Spa Day Giveaway coming next month!

Here I am in a bright Autumn orange. Orange is definitely a color that works well with my skin tone, not only in the summer but also during the fall. I like this top because it is so colorful and I think it was purchased at Rugged Wearhouse, can’t remember, but the wedge heels were.

I love to mix and match my bangle bracelets as well as the multi color necklace. This Pumpkin floral arrangement was a free find at work, it almost got tossed in the trash but it’s the only thing I use to decorate the house because I donated all the other Halloween decorations a few years ago. Now that my sons are older, we don’t really celebrate it anymore.

Do you decorate the house and yard for Halloween?

My only Halloween Decoration

This last outfit is entitled “Wild Wednesday”. Unfortunately, hubby didn’t get a good view of the peep toe wedges as they also have the “wild stripes” along the bottom.

This purse has been in my closet since 2008, it was one of those “I have to go back and get it” finds at a Flea Market in Orlando. Unfortunately, it has been on the top shelf in my closet for years but I just won’t get rid of it. I love the Egyptian pattern but it’s too small to even hold my wallet!

This khaki skirt was thrifted and the top is a one-piece twin set. In keeping with the wild theme, I am wearing brass earrings, beaded necklace, multi metal bracelet and oversized handmade ring – it was a wild and crazy day! So which outfit did you like the best?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Hello Friends and Happy Thankful Thursday

I was recently nominated for a Liebster Award by lovely C-Ray of Sunlight Beauty, and for that I am thankful.

C-Ray loves sharing her fashion and beauty finds as well as providing great everyday tips, so take a few minutes to check out her blog and show some bloggy love.

The Rules of Acceptance:

After you have been nominated and you have accepted it, you have to write a blog post yourself doing the following:
1. Thank the person who has nominated you and link back to their blog (by posting a link on yours).
2. Copy and display the award in your blogpost (save the image and upload it to your own post).
3. Answer the 11 questions about yourself, which are given to you by the person who nominated you.
4. Write 11 random facts about yourself.
5. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs/bloggers that you feel deserve the award. They need to have less than 1000 followers.
6. Think of 11 new questions for the bloggers you have nominated and write them in your post.
8. Inform the selected bloggers that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and link back to your own post so that they can learn about it (if they’ve never heard about it) and so that they know what questions to answer!

The 11 Questions

1. Why did you start blogging?

To fill the void left by the death of my grandmother, my thrify shopping partner

What Would love to do everyday with your significant other

Where is your Fantasy Vacation Spot

Love or Lust

Who is Your Fantasy Man

What is Your Favorite Fruit

#1 Bucket List Item

Hello Friends and Happy Monday

If you are a Delawarean, you probably read the news that our license plates has been voted the ugliest in the nation! After shaking my head in astonishment I immediately thought about this scene from The Color Purple.

The survey conducted by CarInsurance.com stated that our basic blue and gold plate with no art and “The First State” motto was ugly. I wouldn’t call it ugly…boring yes…ugly…no, but we ranked 51st behind all the states and the District of Columbia. Wyoming’s license plate was voted the favorite.

Take a look and tell me what you think- Ugly Yes or No?

Where did your state’s license plate rank?

Stay Blessed – No Stress in the New Year!

Hello Friends and Happy Monday

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are up and at ’em for a terrific week ahead. I’m usually up at 6:00 a.m. but never home before 6:00 p.m, which is why I can catch a weekday sunrise but not a sunset. However, thanks to last week’s snow storm, I was able to catch them both from my back deck.

Behind me and to my left the sun is rising but in order to get a good shot and not one of me squinting, I had to step forward a bit.

Now with the holidays approaching I begin to think and miss my sister and grandmother even more. I have a hat box full of jewelry including brooches and pins that once belonged to them so I decided to wear two of them together in their honor.

These Route 66 knee high suede boots were purchased several years ago at Kmart. I keep them dry and clean by spraying them with a rain&stain guard protector from Payless.

Which do you prefer, a sunrise or a sunset?

Remember the song, “These boots were made for walking” by Nancy Sinatra? You may be too young and if you are, here it is on YouTube.

Hello Friends and Happy Tuesday!

Driving home last evening I started thinking about the old TV sitcoms that I loved to watch as a child, the ones that made me rush through dinner so I could lay in front of the television set until bedtime. We didn’t have a lot of homework so the only thing that might have cut into our TV watching time was Bible Study and/or Prayer Service at Church.

Now thanks to online websites like Retro Cafe, Hulu and YouTube as well as over the air stations like AntennaTV and Cozi TV, I can watch them anytime I want. Having only 3 stations and broadcasting ended at midnight with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner these were my top ten favorites.

I Love Lucy

Julia

The Beverly Hillbillies

Bewitched

Leave it to Beaver

Family Affair

Gilligan’s Island

The Patty Duke Show

Hazel

The Honeymooners

What wasn’t there to love about that zany redhead and her antics with Ethel – loved when they moved to Connecticut

The first time we ever saw a black woman not playing a maid and we loved her son

Come on Granny, you know you could have whomped Mrs. Drysdale – I always wanted to swim in the “cement pond”

Nosy Mrs. Kravitz and oh how I wished I could wiggle my nose to make magic

Wally and Beaver…really…come on June and Ward – I did like they had a bathroom in their bedroom

Something about Mr. Bill and Mr. French raising those kids it was such a sweet and innocent sitcom

Gotta love a feisty maid like Hazel, I often wondered if my grandmother acted the same way with the families she worked for

Really people…you could make a radio out of a coconut but couldn’t make a boat out of trees! Poor Gilligan

I could never figure out how Patty and Cathy could be in the same scene…but it was obvious they weren’t

Ralphie Boy…And away we go! I loved watching the “shadow” on the wall – and everything fit into that one dresser drawer